Pakistan: Nawaz Sharif urges govt to address soaring electricity bills issue

Lahore [Pakistan], August 16 (ANI): Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N)'s President Nawaz Sharif has instructed his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif, who heads the federal government, and his daughter Maryam Nawaz, who governs Punjab, to collaborate on tackling the rising electricity bills, which is crucial for the party's revival, Dawn News reported.
During a party meeting with senior leaders at Model Town on Thursday, Sharif addressed several issues, including the high cost of electricity, the party's resurgence, local body elections, and coordination between the federal and Punjab governments.
Before leading the meeting, Nawaz Sharif had spent several weeks at his favoured hill station, Murree. The meeting was attended by key figures including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Asif, Attaullah Tarar, and Awais Leghari, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, the Prime Minister's sons Hamza and Salman, PML-N Punjab president Rana Sanaullah, and Punjab senior minister Marriyum Aurangzeb.
Nawaz Sharif focused on reviving the PML-N, which had a poor showing in the February elections. Ahsan Iqbal, PML-N Secretary General, stated after the meeting, "Nawaz Sharif has asked the federal and Punjab governments to work together to find out a solution to soaring electricity bills," reported Dawn News.
The PML-N government is confident it can reduce electricity prices as it did with load-shedding issues in 2013. The meeting also addressed the need for the party's political reactivation and reorganization.
The attendees discussed local body elections and decided to restore the local body law from the Hamza Shehbaz era, reversing changes made by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. They agreed on the importance of implementing effective local government legislation in the Punjab Assembly and decided to hold monthly Central Executive Committee meetings.
Regarding the arrest of former ISI chief Faiz Hameed, Iqbal commented that it was a positive step, though it remains an internal army matter, Dawn News reported.
The party's statement after the meeting highlighted their commitment to addressing electricity bill relief, criticizing the PTI government for inflation and high bills.
Nawaz Sharif also indicated a willingness to sacrifice political gains to prevent economic default, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif promised to present his economic strategy to his elder brother soon. (ANI)